Malawi & Zambia explorer
| country: | Zambia, Malawi |
| departures: | 2008: 24 Oct |
| price: | From £2385 + £50 project donation (21 days) excluding flights. Price includes all activities, training, food, accommodation and in-country transport. We can help arrange flights from the UK |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This expedition is the perfect way to experience the sights, sounds and adventures of Africa in a little more luxury. The route includes spending two days meeting our wonderful project partners and the communities we work with in Blantyre. This is followed by guided walks on Mount Mulanje, sampling the famous tea at the plantations at Satemwa and exploring the wetlands of Liwonde National Park.
We go walking on the highlands of the Viphya plateau and visit welcoming coastal villages on the shores of Lake Malawi. We finish the trip in style with a 4 day Big Five safari in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia; a reserve famous for it's abundance of wildlife and high chance of seeing the elusive Leopard. We stay at specially selected lodges and you will be accompanied by an experienced leader who has a passion and in depth knowledge of both of these fascinating countries.
We go walking on the highlands of the Viphya plateau and visit welcoming coastal villages on the shores of Lake Malawi. We finish the trip in style with a 4 day Big Five safari in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia; a reserve famous for it's abundance of wildlife and high chance of seeing the elusive Leopard. We stay at specially selected lodges and you will be accompanied by an experienced leader who has a passion and in depth knowledge of both of these fascinating countries.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Lilongwe, capital of Malawi: Head straight to our lodge in the centre of Lilongweto snooze off that jet leg or swim in their pool, shaded by exotic palm trees. |
| Day 2-4: | Blantyre, orphan project: Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. The Joshua Orphan Care Centre helps to feed the orphans and vulnerable children, which can number over 100 in one village alone. We visit the project; although this can be an emotionally draining experience, the Malawian people are some of the most welcoming you will ever meet – be prepared for lots of singing, dancing and impromptu speech making! On the second day we visit the local township and the talented local Youth Group. If you fancy leading one of the drama or art classes then this will be very well received! Accommodation for this phase will be basic, but comfortable. |
| Day 5-6: | Likhubula Forest Lodge, Mount Mulanje: The huge granite massif of Mount Mulanje rises steeply from the undulating plain to the highlands, surrounded by near-vertical cliffs of bare rock, many over 1000m high. Mulanje's peaks often jut above the mist, giving the mountain one of its local names, 'Island in the Sky'. We stay in a cosy lodge, at the base of some of the main walking trails up onto the massif. You have the chance to walk the trails with a local guide, where you can spot an abundance of birdlife including the black eagle, buzzards and white-necked ravens. |
| Day 7-8: | Satemwa tea plantations: Tea has been grown here since 1908 and the primly trimmed bushes give the whole area the appearance of a neatly kept but vast garden, with the Mulanje Mountain in the distance. There are wonderful walks to be taken - either through the tea gardens or up into the rain forest - a haven for birdwatchers and home of the rare White-winged Apalis and Greenheaded Oriole. Tour the estate and go fishing. Stay in colonial bungalows. |
| Day 9-10: | Liwonde National Park safari: This is Malawi’s prime wildlife area. The reserve encompasses the wide and scenic Shire River, as well as quiet backwaters and lagoons, marshes, open savannah and floodplain, woodland and hills; habitat which support an incredible diversity of plants, animals and birdlife. Boat trips are the most exciting way to see the park’s elephants as well as the huge crocodiles and copious amounts of hippos! Go on walks with qualified scouts to see large breeding herds of elephant, plenty of hippo, crocodile, sable antelope, impala, reedbuck, oribi, leopard, serval and lion. Evenings are spent in traditional African style, watching the sunset on the veranda with a cool, iced drink and chatting about the day’s events as your dinner is prepared and the hippos graze outside your door. |
| Day 11-12: | Luwawa Forest Lodge, Viphya plateau: Head to the pleasant climate of the north Malawian highlands and the Viphya Plateau. Our lodge is situated in the beautiful and tranquil Luwawa Valley overlooking Luwawa Dam which is well stocked with a variety of fish including chambo and black bass. As well as fishing, the lodge is an ideal base for early morning birdwatching with professionally trained guides, or long walks in the pine forests. For the more active members of the group kayaking and mountain biking can easily be arranged, made all the more worthwhile by the draw of the log-fire and cosy lounge waiting on your on return. |
| Day 13-15: | Chinthece Beach: You couldn’t visit Malawi without a visit to the famous Lake Niassa or ‘Lake of Stars’. Our beach lodge offers something for everyone; be it soaking up the sun on a secluded private beach, exploring the spectacular surroundings, taking a boat trip along the lakeshore or snorkelling to see the famous blue Cichlid fish. We will stay here for three nights, to really relax and soak up the relaxed spirit of Malawi. Visit the nearby village of Nkhata Bay, stopping to visit the many local curio stalls and having lunch overlooking the white-sanded bays. |
| Day 16-19: | Safari in South Luangwa National Park, Zambia: Another day, another country and what a finale! A 3 night bush experience deep in the South Luangwa National Park, often called one of the greatest wildlife sanctuaries in the world. Few parks can match the phenomenally high game density nor do they have the ability to show visitors such remarkable wildlife in so remote and isolated a wilderness. There are 60 different animal species and 400 different bird species; there are estimated to be at least 50 hippos per kilometre of the Luangwa River! Mornings will consist of a walk or game drive into the Bush. The rest of the day is yours to relax, walking around camp or swimming in the lodge pool, before our evening night drive. Each lodge has comfortable en suite chalets with verandas from which you can relax and absorb bushlife. |
| Day 20-21: | Lilongwe, capital of Malawi: A last look around Malawi’s capital city before heading home. |
Highly Commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Our expeditions travel to areas of astounding natural beauty and visit inspiring local communities across Africa.
It is essential that for every location that hosts a team the impact on the local people and environment is carefully considered. We are able to ensure that our impact is positive by ensuring that we buy local (at a fair price), use locally run operators, and visit locally run social projects, such as the Joshua Orphan Care Centre which supports and feeds local orphans and vulnerable children. This unique opportunity gives team members the chance to experience the real Malawi by meeting elders and community members and staying in the village. Visitors also discover first hand the positive impact that the projects that we support are having in the area and the most recent infrastructure improvements that we have made.  We hope this visit will open visitors eyes to some of the spectacular work that our volunteers are accomplishing and the long-term investment we make to our project sites. We also work hard to minimise our environmental footprint by adopting a zero-litter policy, managing waste and water use and recommending environmentally friendly products to all our expedition team members. Through training staff and team members we ensure that all teams are able to act responsibly and in a culturally appropriate manner before, during and after an expedition. Join us and see how travel can enrich not only you but the world around you. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've lead the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |